Miami Heat

Doc Rivers may have thought about sitting Ray Allen, may have talked about it with the media, but you didn’t really expect it to happen, did you? Officially the call will be made on game day, as Rivers told A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Allen doesn’t want any part of that, he wants to play.…

Fates will be decided by some bouncing balls and random numbers Wednesday. Not just the fate of lock No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis (and guys like Andre Drummond, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Thomas Robinson and many more). It’s the fate of franchises (and general managers) that will be decided. What would it mean to the 14…

Here is our daily look around the NBA — links to stories worth reading and notes to check out (stuff that did not get its own post here at PBT) — done in bullet point form. Because bloggers love bullet points. • Derek Fisher says he has no plans to retire. I don’t think he’s…

If you are going to beat the Heat, you have to turn them into jump shooters. If Dwyane Wade and LeBron James are getting dunks and layups you are in trouble. Even Ronny Turiaf makes his dunks. You have to push them out away from the hoop. Boston didn’t do that in Game 1, Miami…

It’s always a highlight show when the Miami Heat take the court. Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals was no different, including Dwyane Wade‘s touchdown pass to LeBron James. Which is trouble for Boston — they aren’t scoring a lot of points in this series and when the Heat are racking up easy baskets…

It wasn’t the technical fouls. It wasn’t the officiating period (Miami shot 23 free throws, Boston 21). It’s not about fatigue. It’s not something being more physical can solve. It is not something zone defense is going to solve. The core problem the Boston Celtics have to overcome against the Miami Heat is something very…

The first game of the Eastern Conference Finals went largely as expected. With LeBron James and Dwyane Wade combining for 54 points, and with the Celtics offense being wildly inconsistent, Miami cruised to a 93-79 victory that seemed to see Boston’s worst fears in facing the Heat in this series become reality. James got going…

Chris Bosh was back, working on the court on Sunday. But the Heat are downplaying it, calling it a “mild” workout and not to expect Bosh back soon from his strained abdomen. Don’t expect to see him this round against the Celtics. Kevin Garnett feels for him. Not that the ultimate competitor wants him back…

Chris Bosh clearly just wants another shot at it. He and the Heat came within two games of winning an NBA championship last season, he helped them get there by being the most consistent Heat player through the playoffs (including outplaying Kevin Garnett in the second round). If there was ever any doubt to Bosh’s…

Chris Bosh is not walking through that door… yet. The Heat’s big man who is key to their offensive spacing — and in the Eastern Conference finals could help cover Kevin Garnett — is still officially “out indefinitely” with a strained abdomen and will not dress for Game 1 against Boston Monday. However, Bosh was…

SEASON RECORDS Miami 46-20 (No. 2 seed) Boston: 39-27 (No. 5 seed) SEASON SERIES Boston won the season series 3-1. In their second to final game before the playoffs the Heat did not play any of their big three against the Celtics, so toss that one out. KEY INJURIES Celtics: Starting two guard Avery Bradley…

Rajon Rondo was asked Saturday night about how the Celtics feel about their chances. From Fox Sports Florida’s Chris Tommasson: Rajon Rondo believes Celtics can beat Heat: “We feel we can beat Miami. Obviously, we got to this point. There’s no doubt in our mind we can. We got to go down there and take…

There is an argument to be made that Rajon Rondo is the single most compelling player in the NBA, at least the one still playing in these now Conference Finals after the Celtics’ 85-75 win in Game 7 over the Sixers to advance to face Miami. And if anything, Game 7 reinforced that idea as…

ESPN’s rafters commercials have been really good. The Kevin Durant one held the promise of future, the Paul Pierce one held the reminder of glory for a franchise that hasn’t seen a title since 2008. The new “A Champion Will Rise” commercials speak to the league’s history, and feature two of the greatest to ever…

You want to read a $25,000 quote? “The league does not have a problem with hard fouls on our two main guys. In nine games now there’s been over a dozen hard fouls to the face, some of the tomahawk variety, some have drawn blood. They don’t have a problem with it so we don’t…

Sports tradition calls for you to say, “We’re just happy to be here, both teams present challenges and we will just try to be ready.” That’s… organic fertilizer from male cows. NBA players and coaches have preferences. And like the rest of us in life what they are rooting for is the easiest path to…

With the Heat down 2-1 to the Indiana Pacers and no Chris Bosh on the horizon, LeBron James channeled his Cleveland self and, along with Dwyane Wade, carried the Heat into the Eastern Conference finals. For LeBron’s legions of detractors it does not matter, because nothing he does will matter until he wins rings. Plural.…

Here is our daily look around the NBA — links to stories worth reading and notes to check out (stuff that did not get its own post here at PBT) — done in bullet point form. Because bloggers love bullet points. • Dwyane Wade wore pink pants to the game on Friday. Yea… not working…

It was the Dwyane Wade show Thursday night. He was knocking down jump shots, which opened up his driving lanes to the rim. He had 41 points and pushed the Heat to a win and into the next round. It was a virtuoso performance and there was nothing the Pacers could do about it (especially…

Exactly one week ago, Dwyane Wade was held to five points on 2-13 shooting as the Pacers mauled the at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse to take a 2-1 series lead. Tonight, Wade flipped script on the Pacers, and ended their season in the process as the Heat won game 6 by a final score of…

Here is our daily look around the NBA — links to stories worth reading and notes to check out (stuff that did not get its own post here at PBT) — done in bullet point form. Because bloggers love bullet points. • Tradition says you say your coach is the best in the league, but…

Miami does not have Udonis Haslem Thursday night, suspended for his hard foul on Tyler Hansbrough last game. Danny Granger will be out on the court for Indiana but playing with an ankle he described as swollen like a small softball. These are serious setbacks for both teams and how they deal with it —…

Danny Granger‘s ankle is swollen up “like a small softball” and if this were the regular season he’s be sitting. But it’s not and he is going to go out there and play in Game 6 Thursday night, an elimination game for the Pacers who trail 3-2 in the series. How well he can still…

Here’s the problem with nitpicking the All-NBA teams — there are no bad players on any of the first three. You can argue if you want (and as I would) that LaMarcus Aldridge deserves a spot on the third team more than Carmelo Anthony or Dirk Nowitzki, but that doesn’t make the guys on the…

Tyler Hansbrough followed through with a hard foul on Dwyane Wade in Game 5 that got ball but on the follow through got Wade’s face and drew blood. Hansbrough will be playing in Game 6. Udonis Haslem followed through on a hard foul on Hansbrough in that game — two hands that got ball but…